Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Mad Mage's Desperate Plea
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"Look here, let's not do this—let's think about it logically for a moment. Handing me over to the fairies won't do you any good, will it?"
The mage from the Blue Mage Tower, Jiolo Matran, was desperate in his own way. He had to persuade Philip somehow.
"Why do you think there's no benefit? It's about erasing a mage from the world who might pull off some insane stunt if left alone."
"You seem to have forgotten, but I haven't committed any crime yet. No one's actually been harmed, have they? Think it over again. If you let me go, I'll hand over all my artifacts to you and promise never to set foot in the world again."
Philip snorted at Jiolo's offer and kicked him in the shin.
"Urk!"
"Attempting to summon a manticore, enraging the fairies—either one is crime enough to make you a public enemy of the Mage Tower. Why should I trust you enough to let you go?"
He was little more than a walking bomb. If even one of Jiolo's attempts had succeeded, it would have unleashed a disaster requiring an entire knight order to resolve.
"...That's because it's already too late to stop it. I don't know how you found me, but you clearly know nothing about mages."
Jiolo muttered in a grim voice, wincing from the pain in his shin.
"What?"
Philip shot back, and Jiolo curled his lips into a smirk.
"Do you think I planned this for my own personal glory? A mage's very reason for being is the transmission of knowledge. Just because I couldn't observe it doesn't mean the experiment failed."
As much as he hated to admit it, Philip understood what Jiolo meant.
The mad mage was saying the manticore summoning would happen regardless.
"If you want to save your students, you'd better move fast right now. A manticore's a powerful beast, isn't it? Previa Academy might be prestigious, but I doubt it can handle one. It's not something a couple of instructors and some students can take on. Kehhehe."
As if the tables had turned, Jiolo cackled and mocked Philip.
"...Ah. Is that so?"
Philip kicked him again as if it were nothing. The precise strike to the back of his knee seemed to dislocate it, and Jiolo collapsed on the spot, screaming in agony.
"You're under a delusion. A manticore was never even on my radar. What I was worried about was the fairies' wrath."
With that, Philip—fuming with rage—began stomping on the writhing Jiolo.
'This bastard made the game's difficulty skyrocket several times over.'
In the setting, the fairies of this world quite liked humans. But Jiolo Matran's manticore summoning would cause their affinity to plummet.
Fairies born from natural phenomena despised demonic creatures. To them, the vile and horrific manticore was unforgivable, and the mage who summoned it was no different.
The rampaging fairies would attack nearby human villages, forcing knights and the Mage Tower to subjugate them—and from there, fairy-human relations would sour.
'And this guy pulled it off all by himself.'
A few years later, when the demon race began its full activities, they'd need the aid of the fairies who ruled ancient mountains, lakes, and rivers.
Philip choked Jiolo's carotid artery until he passed out, then swept all the apparent research materials into a nearby sack.
―…So now we're fighting the manticore?
Neria asked, and Philip nodded.
"Pretty much."
―Hmm, shouldn't be too hard. Master's Moonlight Sword is lethal to monsters like manticores.
"First things first, let's drag this damn bastard to the fairies. I'm fine fighting a manticore, but I draw the line at battling enraged fairies."
―Won't the kids be in danger?
"Felicia will handle it. Somehow."
Philip trusted Felicia. She was a once-in-a-generation sword genius—there was no way she'd fall easily to a mere monster that wasn't even a proper demonkin.
"I taught her the Rotating Sword, too. She might even win."
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The travel club students were too entranced by the lake's scenery to do much else.
"Gotta say, the view's not bad. If you ignore the fishy smell."
Mirage Lake was scenic enough to deserve the name. Unnamed flowers bloomed everywhere, ancient trees stretched toward the sky, and the crystal-clear waters reflected faces perfectly.
If only Stefan weren't there, Janis might have suggested going for a dip with Cheryl.
The students circled the lake, scanning for anything unusual.
They knew mystical spots like this often turned up relics or magic items.
"The lake's so vast, it'd take till sunset to circle it while searching," Stefan noted suddenly. He was right—if search was the goal, four people wandering like this wasn't efficient.
"Then let's split up. Stefan, you go with Cheryl. I'll pair with the first-year. If anyone finds something, shoot a flame arrow into the sky. Sound good?"
"Seems solid."
"Agreed."
It was a plausible plan, so Stefan and Cheryl consented. Once they headed off in their direction, Janis tugged Lua's arm.
"Stick close to me. Getting lost here would be bad."
Janis earnestly warned Lua, who nodded with a beaming smile.
"Yes!"
'This is too good.'
It was her first time going out like this with kids her age. She wasn't close to Janis, Cheryl, or Stefan yet, but she could tell they were good people.
"Come here. You can get even closer."
Janis whispered slyly, beckoning her. Lua drew near until their arms brushed.
"The instructor gave it a once-over, but monsters could still be hiding in the trees or bushes. Stay sharp."
"Yes, senior."
"By the way, who braided your hair?"
"My hair? The instructor did."
Janis tilted her head at Lua's answer. She'd assumed only a long-time noble nanny or maid could braid so delicately—and she couldn't believe a man like Philip had such skill.
"Huh. Anyway, time to head out. If nothing happens, we should meet Cheryl on the opposite side."
With that, the two girls began circling the lake in the direction opposite from Stefan and Cheryl.
An hour of walking gave Janis and Lua plenty of time to chat.
"You lived in the mountains with some guy called 'Uncle' and twin little brothers? For fourteen whole years?"
"Yes."
"So how'd you get into the academy? Tuition's not cheap. Oh, not trying to belittle you—just curious."
Janis sensed an innocent purity in Lua's speech and eyes, untouched by the world's filth. She fidgeted, watching her closely. Lua was a type of person Janis had never met in her short life.
Facing those wide, puppy-like eyes felt strangely off.
"...I don't really know. Uncle just told me to go to the academy."
"Got it. Won't pry. Anyway, if you're bored or need someone to hang out with, come find me."
"Yes!"
The more she saw, the more she liked her. To Janis—who had three older brothers—Lua made her want a little sister for the first time.
"If you spot anything weird while looking around, tell me right away. Got it?"
Janis said that, then turned back to scan the lake. That's when she felt an odd sensation in her hand.
'...Holding hands?'
Thinking Lua might have grabbed her hand, she started to turn—but realized the texture wasn't warm, soft skin. It was moist and slimy. She froze.
"......Huh?"
Janis swallowed hard and looked down.
There, instead of the cute brown-haired girl, was a grotesque fish-human with fins and scales.
A human body covered in blue scales, topped with a hideous fish head.
Gulp.
As the abomination flapped its gills and stared up at her, Janis couldn't hold back. She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
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"Young master, I think I just heard a scream."
Cheryl spoke up as she walked the opposite way from Janis with Stefan. He nodded too.
"Janis's voice."
They'd already walked far enough that the groups were effectively on opposite sides of the lake. Too distant to sprint over, too suspicious to ignore.
"...Should we fly across with flight magic?"
"No, too risky. Crossing that distance with magic would drain a ton of mental power—we wouldn't be ready for surprises. Let's assess first. Climb high and use Clairvoyance to check the far side."
Stefan shook his head at Cheryl's suggestion. Impressed by his sharp, swift judgment, Cheryl agreed.
"I've got Clairvoyance prepped. I'll climb a tree and take a look."
Cheryl cast flight magic and floated into the air. Stefan absentmindedly followed her with his eyes—then, as she passed overhead, whipped his head around in a panic.
"Hah!"
Cheryl heard Stefan gasp and tilted her head, then realized she was wearing a skirt.
"Don't look up!"
Her face burned as the hand not holding her staff flew to her hem.
Any other guy might have mortified her, but with Stefan—raised together since childhood—it was bearable.
Atop the tree, Cheryl canceled flight and chanted the memorized Clairvoyance spell.
A head-sized translucent orb appeared before her eyes. With a wave of her staff, it flew through the air toward the lake's far side.
"Huh?"
But through the orb's feed, Cheryl spotted something odd not on the opposite shore, but in the lake's center.
An eerie glow flashed beneath the surface.
The calm waters suddenly rippled violently, like an earthquake. Waves surged as something burst from the depths. When Cheryl identified it, the blood drained from her face.
She leaped down from the tree, shouting urgently.
"Janis is in danger! Young master, we have to get over there fast!"
"What? What's going on?"
Stefan demanded, still clueless. Cheryl screamed again, her voice laced with terror and tears.
"Manticore! A manticore appeared in the lake!"
"What? A manticore? Why here?"
Stefan blurted in disbelief but swiftly prepared flight magic. He knew Cheryl wouldn't lie about something like this.
If a manticore had truly appeared, he had only one job.
"Cheryl, head back to camp right now and alert the instructor and professor. I'll go to Janis and Lua. No point in us moving together."
If it had to be done, he'd take the dangerous path himself.
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